London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hammersmith 1924
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough of Hammersmith for the year 1924
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I submit a report on the work carried out at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary.
Tuberculosis Officer's Rkport foh the Yeah 1924.
During the year sessions have been held regularly at the Dispensary for the examination and treatment of patients at the following times :—
| Mondays, 10 a.m. | VVumen and Childien. |
| Tuesdays, 1.30 p.m. | School Children. |
| Tuesdays, 6 p.m. | Men. |
| Thursdays, 6 p.m. | Women. |
| Saturdays, 10 a.m. | School Children. |
Special appointments are held daily to suit the convenience
of those who cannot attend at the stated hours and
in cases where the consultation is likely to be a lengthy one.
The notification of fresh cases of Tuberculosis in the
Borough during the year numbered 296, an increase of 22
as compared with 1923. At the end of 1924 there were 1,426
persons living in the Borough whose names were entered in
the register as suffering with the disease. Some of these had
been notified many years before and had been well and free
from symptoms for years subsequent to notification.
It has been the practice to remove from the register the
names of persons who were found to be showing no evidence
of the disease, had been free from symptoms for a long period
and who expressed a wish that that should be done. Such
procedure had been carried out in a limited number of cases
but until the end of 1924 there was no official sanction for it.
At the end of the year the Ministry of Health signified that
" denotifuation '' was desirable under certain provisos which
the Minister laid down. By this means the record of the
prevalence of the disease in the Borough can be kept up to
date.
It is anticipated that during the year 1925 the register
will be considerably curtailed. Thereby a large amount of
home visitation, where such is not required, will be obviated
and it will be possible to concentrate the energies of the
Dispensary Staff upon a closer supervision of persons who are
actually suffering with active disease.
In addition many households in which the idea that a
member is affected with tuberculosis is scouted will be glad to
know that supervision is no longer necessary.